Ringer Tailgate: CFB Week 11 LIVE Reactions

Date: November 8, 2025
Hosts: Van Lathan, Joel Anderson, Tate Frazier
Theme: Live, immediate reactions and analysis from a wild College Football Week 11, with banter, Big 12 debates, quarterback talk, chaos, and cultural commentary.

Episode Overview

The crew gathers live (with Van in Vegas and Tate in North Carolina) to react to the developing CFB Week 11 storylines, including Texas Tech’s blowout of BYU, Indiana’s dramatic win over Penn State, playoff implications, the Heisman race, and broader trends in college football. As always, the episode is driven by the trio’s signature blend of sharp analysis, jokes, storytelling, and open contempt/affection for fan bases and coaching dramas.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Texas Tech Blows out BYU: Big 12 Narratives

• Texas Tech Dominates: Texas Tech stifles BYU in a game hyped up by College GameDay but turns into a one-sided showcase for the Red Raider defense.
• Joel’s Take: “Texas Tech is a great team. That is a great defense. Sometimes that's all you need. And in a year like this, that may be all they need.” (03:58)
• Big 12 Playoff Picture: Loss devastates BYU’s viability as a playoff contender, now Utah only path to a second Big 12 team.
• National Perception: The Big 12 still battles a lack of national credibility. Joel notes voters will judge BYU harshly after seeing them look so poor on national TV.
  • Quote: “National credibility...people are willing to write their teams off immediately if they perform poorly on TV. Unlike the SEC...” (08:09)
• Amnesia Games: Van coins “amnesia games”—key matchups the committee/fans simply forget ever happened when the narrative shifts.
  • Quote: “I just think the College Football Playoff committee should not be in the habit of pretending like games never happened.” (09:39)

2. Indiana Stuns Penn State in Happy Valley

• Game Context: Indiana, with Fernando Mendoza at QB, stages a dramatic last-minute drive capped by a touchdown to Omar Cooper.
  • Host Quote: “Fernando Mendoza, speaking of good times, he got high. He threw a ball high and Omar Cooper came down with the catch and toe, tapped in for the touchdown...” (12:19)
• Van’s Analysis: “That's Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman moment...he probably locked up the Heisman too, because it was such a, a moment, a Heisman moment that we haven’t seen in today’s college football anymore.” (13:30)
• Building Program Lore: Both Van and Joel dive into Indiana’s fight for legitimacy and the quest to create ‘moments’ that deepen the program’s legend and belief inside and outside the locker room.
• Talent Differential: Joel points out that Indiana delivers despite a talent gap: “Penn State still probably has more talent on its roster than Indiana does. I know it's hard for people to believe that, but…” (18:26)

3. Penn State’s Joyless Season & The James Franklin Era

• No Joy in Mudville: Van laments Penn State’s “joyless” season—when a team not only disappoints, but provides fans no actual fun.
  • Quote: “There’s something else…having the absolutely joyless year…You start looking at what moments did we get, what joy did we get?” (20:02)
• Worst Losses Debate: Is Penn State cursed? The team debates whether Oregon, Northwestern, or UCLA delivered the cruelest blow.
• Franklin’s Emotional Stake: Speculation on whether ousted James Franklin rooted for or against his old team—jokes about breakups, exes, and legacy abound.
  • Joel: “If you break up with somebody, man, and they go on and they do immediately better than you, like, is that—you know…I mean, it’s one thing you love somebody…and you root for them going forward…but initially…[you want them to struggle].” (24:57)

4. Colorado & Deion Sanders: The Flash Fading?

• State of the Program: Van and Joel question whether Deion still has the energy or desire to build a long-term foundational program at Colorado with his sons likely moving on.
  • Van: “Is it possible that Deion himself…did not take a long enough look at the current…climate of college football?” (32:08)
• Transfer Portal Reliance: Joel wonders if the annual roster overhaul is sustainable: “Turning over the roster every year and bringing in all these transfers…We should not have to do that…” (30:38)
• Recruiting & NFL Pipeline: Without a solid recruiting base or NFL success beyond his own family, Deion’s appeal may not be enough in the NIL era.

5. Macro State of College Football: Playoff Chaos, Fraud Watch, and QB Carousel

• Group of 5 (Tulane, Memphis): Tulane knocks Memphis from G5 playoff conversation. Tulane's resilience and coach John Sumrall’s SEC rumors discussed. (64:19)
• Playoff Upside Down: With bluebloods like Penn State, FSU, LSU, and Clemson slipping (53:16), the episode diagnoses overall CFB weirdness—match-ups that should’ve defined the year simply don’t.
• Heisman Race & Draft Watch: Fernando Mendoza coined as favorite, but there’s controversy about the QB class’s actual quality. Media narratives vs. production dissected.
  • Van on shaky draft class: “A really mediocre quarterback draft in comparison to what it was supposed to be.” (52:13)
• “Frauds” in the ACC: Virginia and others called out on ‘fraud watch’; Tate frequently on the war path about playoff payola and undeserved praise.

6. Culture, Trash Talk, & Meta-College Football

• “SEC! SEC!” Chants: The cultural phenomenon and “group hype” of SEC chanting is roasted, especially by Joel.
  • Joel Quote: “I just thought it showed a lack of dignity…hop on Bama’s dick to be excited.” (44:03)
• Breakup Theories and Rating Systems: Van details his brother’s “0-2” rating system for men and women, based on who you can ‘pull’—a comical, locker-room style aside. (26:07)
• Clutch Agenda (Basketball): In a brief college basketball aside, the hosts lampoon the hype machine around Darrin Peterson and the Kobe comparisons—with inside jokes about “clutch” agency influence. (58:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Van Lathan, on college football amnesia:

  "We're going to have the top 10 amnesia games. The games that happened where teams played—and won—but no one remembers them." (09:39)

• Joel Anderson, on Big 12 perception:

  “People are willing to write their teams off immediately if they perform poorly on TV…Unlike the SEC, which—even if you perform poorly and the game is close—'it just means more.'” (08:09)

• Van Lathan, on building football joy:

  “You start looking at what moments did we get, what joy did we get? …if you are a Penn State Nittany Lion fan right now…What did you give your fan base?” (20:02)

• Van on Heisman lore:

  “I think Mendoza locked up the Heisman today. I really do. I think he did two things—solidified himself as the front runner…and, barring something crazy, he probably locked up the Heisman too.” (13:30)

• Joel, on Deion Sanders’ coaching reality:

  “The whole conceit of the Deion thing is kids will want to play for him. Well, like, show me…turning over the roster every year…is [for] programs with new coaches, not for Colorado.” (30:38)

• SEC Propaganda:

  “You just gave the SEC more propaganda material, Joel.” – Host (41:06)

• Riff on the "SEC" chant:

  Joel: “That shows you have no respect for yourself, man.” Van: “I don't give a [expletive] about that SEC stuff.” Host: “LSU fans were the first fans I ever heard chant SEC.” (43:41)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Texas Tech/BYU Fallout & Big 12 Playoff Picture:
  03:58 – 09:39
• Indiana-Penn State Recap, Heisman Lore-building:
  11:54 – 15:34
• Penn State/Gutted Fanbases/Franklin as the Ex:
  20:02 – 25:35
• Deion Sanders & Colorado’s Future:
  29:45 – 35:44
• Amnesia Games, Committee Narratives:
  09:39 – 11:38
• Heisman Race & Draft QBs (McShay angle):
  49:00 – 55:43
• Tulane vs Memphis, Group of 5 Power:
  63:59 – 67:00
• ACC/‘Fraud Watch,’ Committee Payola Rants:
  67:00 – 68:12
• Riff on SEC/Conference identity:
  41:16 – 46:22
• Basketball interlude on Darrin Peterson:
  58:27 – 61:32
• Fun Family/Locker Room Banter:
  Scattered throughout; especially rating system (26:07), Gus Johnson puberty joke (12:39)

Tone & Style Notes

• Camaraderie, Ball-Busting, & Banter: Heavy on in-jokes, regional pride, trash talk, and over-the-top analogies.
• Audience Engagement: Shoutouts to commenters and live-correction of errors, providing a “hangout” experience for listeners.
• Mix of Serious Analysis & Humor: Blends statistical or legacy debates with running gags and personal stories.

TL;DR Takeaways

• Texas Tech emerges as Big 12 favorite, exposing BYU’s limitations.
• Indiana’s miracle over Penn State transforms program perception; Mendoza likely Heisman frontrunner.
• Penn State’s season is emotionally “joyless”—classic heartbreak for blueblood fans.
• Deion’s Colorado runs low on momentum without his sons and transfer magic.
• Playoff and Heisman narratives are in flux due to unexpected “frauds” and non-traditional contenders.
• College football’s collective memory—and committee—often erase crucial early games (the ‘amnesia’ phenomenon).
• SEC chant and conference unity roasted as “group hype” with little dignity.
• Basketball, banter, personal stories, and cultural riffs keep the show fresh and unpredictable.

For casual and hardcore college football fans alike, this live episode of Ringer Tailgate captures the emotional chaos—and unexpected narratives—defining the back half of the 2025 season.